Coffee Day

Dear Coffee:

I held you in my hand as I browsed Facebook this morning, and I discovered that it was your special day!  People were toasting you and roasting you and telling you how wonderful you are, and I had to join in.  Of course, you know how much you mean to me, not just today, but every day of the year.  A love like ours doesn't need to be validated by social media, but it is so magical that it has inspired me to climb to the top of my online platform and declare to all my readers that I am in love with you.

Remember when we first met?  I was only 8 years old, and I breathed in your unique aroma.  I drank of your brown goodness (2 sugars and 3 creams) and I knew I'd found something special.  I tried to get as much of you as I could, at restaurants and on the road, in the kitchens of my relatives and even at home.  You were everywhere, in one form or another.  When I look back on my life, the stressful moments and the celebrations, the holidays and birthdays, the hotel lobbies and airplane galleys, you were there for me.

Our relationship changed, naturally, as I grew up.  These days, I enjoy you with a little flavored cream, often in a to-go mug as I run my kids to school in the mornings.  Occasionally, we even meet up at a local shop.  I still enjoy the times we can sit outside together, fresh air and warm coffee.  You have perked me up after sleepless nights, given me the energy to get through another day of diapers, laundry, pbjs, repeat.  You have kept me warm on the cold days, when rain has soaked me through as I struggled to get three kids in their car seats.  You are who I want after an afternoon snowball fight.

Coffee, you are universal.  You go with everything.  You wash down a delicious pastry as easily as a ham sandwich.  You pair with dessert and breakfast, or as a stand alone.  You taste delicious dressed down in black or dolled up with whipped cream and caramel.  You let me choose cold or hot, and you never ask anything from me.

We both know I've dabbled in some other beverages.  You forgave me for the Butterbeer I drank over spring break, accepting that what happens in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter STAYS in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  You co-exist with water and Coke and wine, because you know that you'll always be my first love, that none of them compare to you.  And you'll be there for me to the end.  I've seen you in the hospitals and nursing homes, and we know about the senior discount.

Happy Coffee Day friend.  Thank you for all that you give me, the caffeine and sugar and warmth.  Here's to many more years of you and me!